The Big Lead

Red Sox pitcher to undergo season-ending surgery following off-field accident

The nature of the wrist injury is a mystery, but the upshot for the Boston Red Sox's beleaguered rotation is the same as a more conventional injury.

By J.P. Hoornstra

Boston Red Sox pitcher Kutter Crawford (50) gets a visit at the mound in the second inning of the MLB baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on June 21, 2024.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Kutter Crawford (50) gets a visit at the mound in the second inning of the MLB baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on June 21, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Kutter Crawford hasn't thrown a pitch for the Boston Red Sox this season while he follows the long road back from right patellar tendinopathy. He likely won't pitch again until 2026 — for different reasons altogether.

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Boston manager Alex Cora told reporters Wednesday that Crawford's season is "most likely" over because of an off-the-field wrist injury unrelated to baseball.

“It’s not disappointing. It’s just an accident,” Cora told reporters Wednesday in Anaheim. "It just sucks that it happened this way. I’m not going to get into details, but it wasn’t irresponsible.”

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Crawford, a 29-year-old right-hander, went 9-16 with a 4.36 ERA in 33 starts last year for the Red Sox. He threw 183.2 innings and was expected to give Boston's beleaguered rotation a reliable arm as it looks to turn around its season.

The Red Sox (40-41) entered Wednesday's game against the Angels (39-40) trailing the first-place New York Yankees in the American League East. Not only did three teams separate them from the top spot in their division, they needed to leapfrog two teams — Seattle and Cleveland — to jump back in the Wild Card picture.

Now, for reasons entirely unexpected, the Red Sox are back to square one. Their starters have a 4.29 ERA this season, 22nd in MLB.

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